Modules & Upstream Manufacturing

Researchers at IIT Mandi developed high-quality, uniform thin films of nickel oxide on the silicon substrate using an aerosol-assisted chemical vapor deposition technique with nickel nitrate as the precursor material. 

While shingled cells have been around for a while, Tongwei’s adoption of the technology is notable as it is a manufacturer with considerable scale. If shingling can overcome some hurdles, it could prove a welcome solution as unshaded sites for PV become elusive in mature solar markets.

South Korea’s SDN has developed new bifacial solar modules based on M10 wafers. It claims the new panels are the largest to be produced in South Korea.

Ircon Renewable Power has tendered the manufacturing and supply of 530 Wp+ mono PERC bifacial modules under the domestic content requirement of a 600 MWp solar PV project at Pavagada.

The Ministry of New & Renewable Energy has exempted solar projects to be commissioned till March 31, 2024, from the requirement to source modules from the Approved Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) list. The move provides developers with the flexibility to source modules at the most cost-competitive rates.

Gautam Solar has supplied 70 MW of PV panels to solar projects in the states of Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh over a period of four months.

TrendForce says polysilicon will be 3.2% cheaper in March than in February. This will lead to lower wafer, cell and module prices and will effectively spur installation demand.

Scientists from Germany’s Fraunhofer ISE and US panel maker Solaria have applied thermal laser separation and post-metallization passivated edge technology to tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) cell production. They have developed shingle PV devices that are more efficient than cells built with conventional laser scribing and mechanical cleaving methods.

Adani Group has committed to building 15 GW of renewable power projects in Andhra Pradesh, while Reliance announced its 10 GW solar plans for the state. Avaada, Greenko, Indosol, and ReNew have also pledged massive investments into the state’s renewables sector.

Reliance Industries Ltd will invest in building 10 GW of solar energy generation capacity in the state of Andhra Pradesh. It has also applied for 6 GW of poly-to-module capacity under the second round of the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for solar manufacturing which received bids from eleven companies in total.